Ibadan Stampede: God will vindicate you – Ooni of Ife tells ex-queen

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has expressed his unwavering faith that divine justice will prevail for his former queen, Naomi Silekunola, regarding her involvement in the tragic stampede that resulted in the loss of 35 young lives during a Christmas event she orchestrated in Ibadan, Oyo State, on December 4.

Oba Ogunwusi has exonerated his former spouse of any malicious intent to harm the children and other attendees of the event.

He emphasized that she organized the gathering with the sincere aim of bringing joy to underprivileged children.

Silekunola, alongside the owner of the Ibadan-based radio station Agidigbo FM, Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat, and the Principal of Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan, Abdulahi Fasasi, are currently facing a four-count indictment for conspiracy, causing death by negligence, endangering public safety, and failing to ensure adequate security and medical provisions at the event.

An Ibadan Magistrate’s Court on December 24, 2024, ordered the trio to be remanded in custody pending further proceedings in this matter.

In a similar vein, Justice K.B. Olawoyin of the State High Court in Ibadan denied bail to the defendants when the case was presented before him on Tuesday.

Justice Olawoyin has postponed his decision regarding the bail applications until Monday, January 13, 2025.

Since the commencement of these proceedings, advocates for the ex-queen have been urging Oba Ogunwusi to take action to facilitate her release.

Certain supporters have criticized the Ooni for not taking adequate measures to prevent the incarceration of his former wife.

Nevertheless, the Ooni clarified that his involvement in the case is limited to spiritual support for the ex-queen, asserting that ultimately, only God and the judicial system could determine her outcome.

The Ooni stated these points through his Chief Press Secretary, Otunba Moses Olafare, during an interview on Friday.

He said, “The case is before the court. We cannot interfere with the court process; we will wait for the court’s outcome, and we will not take any step that will jeopardise the court’s process on the matter. We hope she will eventually be exonerated. We don’t know what the court has for her.

“The only thing we can do for her now is to pray to God to vindicate her, and the Ooni, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi believes God will vindicate her because she had good intentions for the programme. She has always cared for children, especially the underprivileged, even when she was in the palace. Nobody ever died during such events when she organised them in the past.

“She must have organised about three or four editions while at the palace, and nobody died. We understand she had been doing it even before she came to the palace and continued doing it after leaving the palace. The Ibadan edition is not the first children’s programme she has held since leaving the palace.

“Based on that, we are wishing her well and praying that God grants her justice. God will vindicate her. We believe she must have acted in good conscience. Nobody organises an event intending to harm people. We at the palace wish her well and pray for her eventual exoneration.”